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Today's Paper | May 02, 2024

Published 29 Aug, 2002 12:00am

13 Harakat men held with weapons and CDs

PESHAWAR, Aug 28: Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has arrested 13 activists of banned Haraktul Mujahideen and seized explosives and computer discs. The discs contained speeches of Osama bin Laden and instructions of bomb-making, an official claimed on Wednesday.

“They were maintaining their office in a secretive manner,” Assistant Inspector General, CID, Abdul Majeed Marwat said. The raid was conducted on Tuesday evening at a city hideout in Danishabad, about 10-minute drive from the adjoining tribal region. “They were living in the basement of the office,” he added.

Satellite phones, 12 time devices, two Kalashnicovs and explosives were seized from them, the official claimed, however, he said the police was not aware if the group was planning to carry out any sabotage.

He said the detainees comprised one Afghan with an address in Iran and the rest were Pakistanis. Efforts were being made to establish their identities, he added.

He said the police also seized CDs containing video- footage of the crashing of WTC in September last year; speeches of Al Qaeda leader Osama and a 15-minute video instructions on bomb- making in Pushto and Arabic.

The group, which is mostly active in Indian controlled Kashmir, is listed as a terrorist outfit by the United States. Pakistan also froze its accounts and closed its offices last year.

Investigators claimed that splinter groups of some of the banned militant outfits were regrouping and might be behind recent terrorist attacks in Pakistan. Special teams have been constituted comprising members of intelligence agencies to interrogate Pakistani militants released from Afghan jails, officials said.

Hundreds others have been rounded up in a  countrywide crackdown, most of them are now being released on submission of an affidavit of future good-conduct and vetting of police intelligence agencies.

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